The last month of the year. A time to set things up for achieving success next year. But also a time to slow down and rest and socialise.
For us it is the end of the school year and the start of our long summer holidays. It is the time of year when Cape Town fills up to the brim with visitors, traffic jams are the norm, family comes to stay from overseas, we celebrate a sunny Christmas, and one of our businesses gets fairly busy.
It is a full time of year. And a wonderfully celebratory time too.
It is importantly a time when our girls are tired. And the theoretical idea of living simple, living slow, breathing, and pausing needs to become practical, every day.
A few years ago I decided to follow the basics of Minimalism.
I made a decision to do this. I decided to try to create a more intentional life for me, and for my family. I wanted to change my life from living on autopilot to living more consciously.
I have found that I am productive when I set myself – or join – challenges. It is like my version of a to do list, which helps me commit, see change, and hold myself accountable. Challenges are for me the place where theory can more easily become reality.
And because I am trying to make life changes, I need a list from which to work. Challenges help me work down my life list.
This December I am testing different areas of my life with 3 self-imposed challenges. These all support the my chosen creation of a simple and beautiful life, based on those basic principles of Minimalism:
- Sea Change Sacred Bow Challenge: reviewing 2019 & setting intentions for 2020 (planning)
- 21 day Deepak Chopra Creating Abundance meditation challenge – again (spiritual)
- Courtney Carver’s Project 333 (practical) – 3rd and final month
Sea Change
I have signed up for Sea Change (mentioned here). This is Leo Babauta’s habit changing course and I completed my first month.
Every month Leo hosts a new month-long challenge. Last month was Decluttering. This month is the Sacred Bow Challenge: Reviewing 2019 & Setting Intentions for 2020.
I am looking forward to pausing, reviewing and planning.
As well as the monthly challenge, I am working on the beginner’s programme – which for me includes drinking water and meditating daily.
21 day Deepak Chopra Abundance meditation challenge – again
I have decided to do the 21 day Creating Abundance meditation again. Because it is simple, and it is beneficial, and I feel that a repeat would further consolidate some of the concepts I learnt the first time around.
Further, now that I have been meditating pretty much for 42 days straight, I will be in a different state to receive what this series of meditations teaches.
Today is Day 1 of this challenge. I can however report back my personal experience since I have been meditating regularly:
- increased overall feeling of calm and control
- better handling of trigger situations on my part
- increased awareness of my breath – I find myself taking deep breaths before and after situations which cause some stress
- more positive outlook
- more creative ideas regarding my work
- more synchronicity
- gratitude comes more naturally
- examples of abundance from a variety of sources – a course I needed offered by a friend, a piece of art gifted to me which sparked a creative idea about featuring beautiful businesses on this blog, treatment by a friend who needed training hours, and more
- I look forward to my meditation every day – it feels like a lifeline some days
Project 333
Project 333 is just great. I would highly recommend it. In fact the idea inspires me so much that I have a crazy idea of applying it to other areas:
- 333 weekly food ingredients
- 333 minutes of non-work screen time a week
- R333 spent on food for a week
- 333 words written each day (minimum)
- 3-3-3 – instagram posts weekly (3 for each business we run)
This is my third month of the wardrobe Project 333. I have missed nothing. I might even change nothing for the next 3 months.
I have still not yet worn everything on my list!
Onwards.
